Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev is the fastest man alive at 205 pounds.
On Saturday at UFC Qatar, Yakhyaev set the record for the fastest submission by a light heavyweight in modern UFC history, needing just 33 seconds to force Raffael Cerqueira to tap out.
Watch the lightning-fast finish below.
Yakhyaev (7-0) entered his UFC debut with a reputation for ending fights quickly, having five first-round finishes in his first seven pro bouts, including a 30-second knockout of Alik Lorenz that earned him a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series this past August. The 24-year-old was an absurd -1600 favorite to beat Cerqueira, according to FanDuel odds.
As it turns out, maybe those odds weren’t wide enough.
Right away, Yakhyaev swarmed Cerqueira, landing a head kick shortly after the opening bell that rocked his opponent. Cerqueira attempted to recover, but was soon picked up and slammed by Yakhyaev. Moments later, Yakhyaev secured a rear-naked choke that ended the bout after just 33 seconds of one-sided action.
It was a rough outing for Cerqueira (11-4), who likely departs the UFC after falling to 0-4 in the promotion with three of those losses coming by knockout or submission.
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